By Aanworld News Desk | Mar 26, 2024 09:06 AM IST Russian president Vladimir Putin on Monday pointed fingers at “radical Islamists” for the recent terror attack in Moscow. However, he stopped short of naming ISIS, the group that has claimed responsibility for the attack. During a national address on Telegram, Putin suggested that Ukraine might have played a role in the incident to “show their own population that not all is lost for the Kyiv regime.”
The attack, which occurred at the Crocus City Hall on Friday night during a concert, resulted in the deaths of 139 people and left 182 others injured. Four men of Tajik origin have been arrested by Russian authorities, who have since charged them with terrorism offenses.
“We know that the crime was carried out by the hand of radical Islamists with an ideology that the Muslim world has fought for centuries,” Putin stated.
According to Putin, the perpetrators were apprehended while attempting to flee to Ukraine. “The question that arises is who benefits from this?” he added.
“This atrocity may be just a link in a whole series of attempts by those who have been at war with our country since 2014 by the hands of the neo-Nazi Kyiv regime,” Putin further asserted.
Despite Putin’s allegations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied any involvement in the attack, asserting that Putin has thrived on terror for two decades.
The United States, however, has stated that Putin is aware that ISIS orchestrated the attack. White House press secretary Karine Jean Pierre emphasized, “This was a terrorist attack that was conducted by ISIS. Russian President Putin understands that and he knows that very well.”
French President Emmanuel Macron echoed similar sentiments, stating, “Available information indicates indeed that it was an entity of the Islamic State that instigated this attack.”
The terror attack comes amidst the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with tensions escalating since February 2022 when Putin ordered Russian forces to invade Ukraine.
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